Cloth-blank-stacking apparatus

ABSTRACT

A stacking apparatus for cloth blanks successively fed, one-ata-time, into a stacking station. Each blank is deposited on horizontally movable opposing members, then in closed position at the station. Another pair of opposing members, arranged for vertical movement, then close from clearance positions upon the deposited blank, the upper member to hold the cloth blank and the lower member to receive the same when the horizontally movable members are withdrawn from beneath the blank.

United States, Patent [72] Inventors JosephC.Lamonica Garfield; TimothyTrost, Pompton Lakes; Marinas Troast, Jr., Little Falls, all 0!, NJ.[2|] Appl. No. 880,177 [22] Filed Nov. 26, 1969 [4S] Patented Aug. 3,1971 [73] Assignee l. C. Herman 8: (30., Inc.

New York, N.Y.

[54] C LOTH-BLANK-STACKING APPARATUS 3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. 214/6 ll [5 l] ht. B65 57/06 501 Field of Search ..2l4/6 DK, 6

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,947,405 8/1960 Fenton214/6 P X 3,164,080 1/1965 Miller, Jr. 214/6 P X Primary Examiner-GeraldM. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-Robert J. Spar Attorney-Myron AmerABSTRACT: A stacking apparatus for cloth blanks successively fed,one-at-a-time, into a stacking station. Each blank is deposited onhorizontally movable opposing members, then in closed position at thestation. Another pair of opposing members, arranged for verticalmovement, then close from clearance positions upon the deposited blank,the upper member to hold the cloth blank and the lower member to receivethe same when the horizontally movable members are withdrawn frombeneath the blank.

PATENTEDAUG 3:97 3,596,778

L; I N VENTORS JOSEPH C. LAMONICA TIMOTHY TROAST MAR/NUS TROAST JR.

AT TORNE Y CLO'I'H-B LANK-STACKING APPARATUS The present inventionrelates generally to cloth handling apparatus, and more particularly toan improved cloth blank stacking apparatus.

The handling of cloth presents problems because of its frictionaladherence to any support surface along which it is moved, as well asother peculiarities which make it an extremely diflicult material tohandle. Thus, there is an unsolved need to provide production equipmentfor handkerchiefs, scarves, or other such cloth blanks,'with stackingapparatus which can effectively receive these blanks and move the sameinto a stacked condition.-For example, it is not readily possible toeffectively scrape cloth off of a transporting surface, nor can thecloth be readily picked up, carried, and deposited in a smooth conditionon a stack. It is undoubtedly for this reason that presently availablestacking apparatus is unduly complicated both in construction and modeof operation.

Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improvedstacking apparatus for cloth blanks overcoming the foregoing and othershortcomings of the prior art. Specifically, it isan object to achievecloth blank stacking through the cooperating movements of stackingmembers which each are characterized by simplicity of construction andoperation such that the resulting apparatus is similarly easy toconstruct and operate.

A stacking apparatus demonstrating objects and advantages of thepresentinvention includes, ata stacking station, initially closedhorizontally oriented memberson which the blank is easily deposited.Then, a holding member descends from above, in holding contact againstthe blank while a support platform moves up from below to ablank-receiving position below the blank-supporting members. While theblank is held against lateral movement, the supporting members arestripped from beneath the blank causing the vertical deposit thereofonto the support platform. A repetition of this cycle results in adesiredstack buildup on the platfonn.

The above brief description, as well as further objects, features andadvantages of the present invention, will be more fully appreciated byreference to the "following detailed description of a presentlypreferred, but nonetheless illustrative embodiment in accordance withthe present invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stacking apparatus in accordancewith'the present invention having external portions broken away tobetter illustrate internal structural features thereof;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of a stacker with the-end wall removedto better illustrate internal structural features; and

FIG. 3 is a partial end elevational view similar to FIG. 2 in whichpositions of movement of the various parts of the stacker areillustrated infull line and phantom line perspective.

Reference isnow made to the drawings wherein there is shown a stackingapparatus, generally designated 10, demonstrating objects and advantagesof the present invention. Apparatus '10 includes three major orsignificant operating mechanisms which cooperate-with each other toeffectively and'efliciently cause stacking of cloth blanks 12 which maybe handkerchiefs,scarves'or like items. The cooperation of thesemajorparts ofthe apparatus-His primarily in the direction of movement inwhich they operate relative to each other to achieve stacking. Thus, aswill be described in greater detail subsequently herein, apparatusincludes a conveyor 14 effective to move a succession of blanks 12 alongafeed path 16 to a stacking station, generally designated 18, which islocated at the dischargeend of the conveyor 14. The second majorcomponent of the apparatus 10 consists of a pair of cloth blanksupporting members 20and -22 which are operatively arranged for openingand closing movements relative to each other in the direction 24 which,as clearly indicated in FIG. 1, is transverse to the feed direction 16of the conveyor. The third major component of apparatus 10 consists ofan opposing pair of members 26 and 28 (see FIGS. 2 and 3), which aremovable also through opening and closing movements relative to eachother but in a direction 30 which is transverse to, or out of phasewith, the previously noted direction of movement 24 of the cloth blanksupporting members 20, 22. The manner in which the parts moving in thejust noted directions 16, 24 and 30 relative to the stacking station 18to produce effective stacking of cloth blanks 12 at that station willbecome more obvious as the description proceeds.

The conveyor 14, as clearly indicated in the drawings, in a preferredform consists of an endless belt 32 entrained about spaced-apartsupporting rollers, one end roller 34 being illustrated, such thatlongitudinal movement of the belt 32 effectively defines the feed path16 along which successively deposited cloth blanks 12 are carried to thestacking station 18.

Located at the stacking station 18 is a generally rectangular unit 36which, as best shown in FIG. 2, has an upper, generally rectangularopening 38 into its interior compartment 40. Operating 'in the opening38 are the previously noted cloth blank supporting members 20, 22, eachof these members being connected via a piston rod 42 to an appropriatepressure air-operated air cylinder or piston (not shown). As aconsequence, members 20, 22 are powered by pressure air, in a wellunderstood manner, through opening and closing movements 24 relative tothe opening 38 during operation of the stacking apparatus 10.Specifically, conveyor 14 is intermittently operated so as to depositthe cloth blanks 12, men a time, on the cloth blank supporting members20 and 22 in closed position in the opening 38. It should be readilyappreciated that this'deposit is achieved by the movement of theconveyor 14 in the feed direction 16 during which the leading edge 44 ofthe blank 12 is projected onto the closed members 20 and 22 and urgedfully across these members by'virtue of continued movement of theconveyor 14. To facilitate movement of each cloth blank 12 to itsdeposited position on the members 20 and 22, as illustrated in phantomperspective in FIG. 1, the members 20 and 22 have appropriate lowfriction surfaces. After the deposit of a cloth blank 12 on the closedmembers 20 and 22, or possibly even just prior to or during thisdeposit, the previously noted member 28, which is the cloth stacksupporting member of the apparatus 10, is moved from a clearanceposition below the closed members 20, 22, as illustrated in full line inFIG. 3, into its upper position adjacent these members, as illustratedin phantom perspective in FIG. 3. To this end, member 28 includes ahorizontally oriented platform 46, a piston rod 48 and apressure-air-operated piston or air cylinder 50 having an appropriateconnection, as at 52, to a source of pressure'air. Operating in a wellunderstood manner, the cloth stack supporting member 28 is urged throughclosing movement 30 upon the undersurface of the members 20, 22 and willpartake of an extent of movement in thatdirection until there isabutment of the platform 46 or of the top of a cloth stack 12 supportedthereon, whichever is the case, against the undersurface of members 20,22. When this abutment occurs, there will be a buildup of pressure inthe air motor 50 which in a well understood manner, is effectively usedto terminate operation of the air motor 50 and thus hold Simultaneouslywith closing movement 30 of the cloth stack I the platform in a positionadjacent the closed members 20 and j piston rod 58 to an appropriate airmotor or cylinder (not shown). g

With the cloth blank 12 held along line contact 56 in its medial area,the mode of operation of the apparatus then contemplates the urging ofthe members and 22 through withdrawing movement away from each other inthe direction 24. It should be readily appreciated that this results inthe deposit of the cloth blank 12 through the opening 38 onto theadjacently positioned horizontally oriented platform 46. This isillustrated in FIG. 2, in which it is also illustrated that hold-' ingelement 54, under appropriate biasing pressure, maintains its holdingcontact on the cloth blank 12 until actual deposit of this blank is madeonto the platform 46 or onto the cloth stack 12 previously built up onthe platform, whichever is the case. That is, the cloth blank holdingmember 26 after making initial contact with the cloth blank 12 iscapable of additional downward movement 60 which is approximately equalto the height of the members 20 and 22.

After deposit of the cloth blank 12 on the platform 46, this platform iswithdrawn to its starting clearance position below the opening 38 whilethe holding element 54 is withdrawn in an opposite direction into itselevated clearance position. The cloth blank supporting members 20, 22are then urged from their open positions through closing movement 24closing the opening 38 and thereby placing the apparatus 10 in conditionfor the next cycle of operation which commences with the feeding of thenext successive blank 12 by the conveyor 14 to the stacking station 18.It should be readily appreciated that repetition of the moving parts ofthe stacking apparatus 10 through the stacking movement sequence asdescribed herein will result in a buildup of a cloth blank stack 12 onthe platform 46. Ultimately this buildup reaches an extent where it isdesirable to remove the stack 12 from the interior of the unit 36. Thisremoval is facilitated by the provision of a hinged panel 62 which whenopened, as illustrated in FIG. 2, readily permits access to the clothstack 12 on the platform 46.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in theforegoing disclosure and in some instances some features of theinvention will be employed without a corresponding use of otherfeatures.

What we claim is: l. A stacking apparatus for successively fed clothblanks comprising a conveyor means for transporting said succession ofcloth blanks along a prescribed feed path to a stacking sta tion, afirst pair of opposing horizontally movable cloth blank supportingmembers operatively arranged at said stacking station for generallyhorizontally oriented opening and closing movements relative to eachother in directions transverse to said feed path, and a second pair ofan opposing vertically movable cloth blank holding member and a clothstack supporting member operatively arranged at said stacking stationfor generally vertically oriented opening and closing movements relativeto each other in directions transverse to said cloth blank supportingmembers in accordance with a prescribed stacking movement sequence, saidstacking movement sequence including closing movement fromabove of saidcloth blank holding member into holding contact against a cloth blank inposition on said closed cloth blank supporting members, closing movementfrom below of said cloth stack supporting member into a positionadjacent said closed cloth blank supporting members, and openingmovement of said cloth blank supporting members from beneath said clothblank resulting in the deposit of said cloth blank on said adjacentlypositioned cloth stack supporting member, pressure air means foractuating said cloth blank supporting members, said cloth blank holdingmember and said cloth stack supporting member through said stackingmovement sequence, and control means operatively associated with saidcloth stack supporting member to terminate said upward closing movementthereof in response to a pressure buildup in said pressure air means,whereby each successive position of said cloth stack supporting memberis determined by the abutment of the top of said stack of cloth blanksagainst said closed cloth blank supporting members.

2. A stacking apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said conveyormeans is an endless belt operatively arranged to discharge cloth blankssuccessively positioned therealong on

1. A stacking apparatus for successively fed cloth blanks comprising aconveyor means for transporting said succession of cloth blanks along aprescribed feed path to a stacking station, a first pair of opposinghorizontally movable cloth blank supporting members operatively arrangedat said stacking station for generally horizontally oriented opening andclosing movements relative to each other in directions transverse tosaid feed path, and a second pair of an opposing vertically movablecloth blank holding member and a cloth stack supporting memberoperatively arranged at said stacking station for generally verticallyoriented opening and closing movements relative to each other indirections transverse to said cloth blank supporting members inaccordance with a prescribed stacking movement sequence, said stackingmovement sequence including closing movement from above of said clothblank holding member into holding contact against a cloth blank inposition on said closed cloth blank supporting members, closing movementfrom below of said cloth stack supporting member into a positionadjacent said closed cloth blank supporting members, and openingmovement of said cloth blank supporting members from beneath said clothblank resulting in the deposit of said cloth blank on said adjacentlypositioned cloth stack supporting member, pressure air means foractuating said cloth blank supporting members, said cloth blank holdingmember and said cloth stack supporting member through said stackingmovement sequence, and control means operatively associated with saidcloth stack supporting member to terminate said upward closing movementthereof in response to a pressure buildup in said pressure air means,whereby each successive position of said cloth stack supporting memberis determined by the abutment of the top of said stack of cloth blanksagainst said closed cloth blank supporting members.
 2. A stackingapparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said conveyor means is anendless belt operatively arranged to discharge cloth blanks successivelypositioned therealong on said closed cloth blank supporting members. 3.A stacking apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said cloth blankholding member is operatively arranged to contact the medial area ofeach said cloth blank and remains in said contact during withdrawingopening movement of said cloth blank supporting members from said areaof contact, whereby said withdrawing opening movement is effective incausing the deposit of said cloth blank in a substantially smoothed-outcondition.